Transfer system shake-up could see players pay agents from their own pocket

Bad news for Mino Raiola

The influence and power that intermediaries hold in the world of football has grown to staggering levels in recent years. Last year they earned a total of £220m from transfer deals. The most famous and prominent super agent, Mino Raiola, pocketed a whopping £41m from Paul Pogba's transfer to Juventus alone. In an attempt to address the balance of power in the transfer market, the Premier League are considering making players pay agents' fees, rather than the buying club. Clubs will discuss several proposals at a meeting today and whether to go their own route or fall into line with FIFA’s new guidelines. Other proposals from the Premier League include forcing agents to have a United Kingdom based bank account where fees can be paid; ensuring that fees must be paid over the length of the player's contract, rather than in a lump sum; ending dual representation and making agents present an annual financial statement. The Premier League will also seek reassurances that other leagues in Europe will follow their decision to end the transfer window before the start of the season, rather than at the end of August. The referees' body, PGMOL, will also report that younger referees will be fast tracked into the system because of a worrying shortage of officials. The proposed changes to how agents operate in the transfer market could lead to fewer high profile transfers being sanctioned every summer, as players must consider whether the move is right for them, and worth the cost of the agent's fees, as opposed to just what their agent sees as the most lucrative option.